The Crown in the Palm. The Eternal Currency of the Kingdom

This poetically named exhibition will present the most famous Czech coin, the PRAGUE GROSCHEN, which it was said would be an everlasting coin. The striking of this coin was made possible in 1300 by the discovery of silver in the area around Kutná Hora. Coinage reform then ensured the legal, artistic and technical basis in order for it to be realised. There will be detailed exhibits about the mintage of Charles IV, its decline at the end of his reign and after the death of Wenceslas IV, as well as its resurrection under George of Poděbrady and Vladislav II. The end of the Prague groschen in 1547 during the reign of Ferdinand I will also be remembered.

The introduction to the exhibition will look at gold and silver mining in this country and alongside examples of minerals there will be statues of miners on display. Reproductions of illuminations and altarpieces will transport visitors into the atmosphere of mediaeval mining. The main part of the exhibition will consist of major groschen treasures from “vaults” in Hodonín, Týn nad Vltavou and Žichlice. Visitors will also find out how much things cost in the Middle Ages and how counterfeit coins were made. The final part of the exhibition is devoted to how goldsmiths worked and, in the gold-plated monstrances and the crystal cross on display, visitors will have the opportunity to experience the beauty of the Gothic style in the decorative arts.